Safety razor



E J. GRAY SAFETY RAZOR Oct. 30, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed Dec. 4, 1947 m TJ N md mw .m d

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Oct. 30, 1951 E. J. GRAY SAFETY RAZOR 2 lSHEE'rs--smsl-:T 2

Filed Dec. 4, 1947 INVENTOR y ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 30, 1.951

UNITED STATES Parent oFPICE Edward Gray, ew Yorl:N; Y.;.Irene Carol Gray ,executrix of said Edward J. Gray, de-

ceased Alpliaiion Decembe 4, 1947, serial No'. 789,591

(o1. edi-40) 11 laims.

The invention is prin'arily concerned with safety razors of the magazine type.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a magazine type safety razor of relatively siznple, inexpensive and reliable construction in which the magazine may be incorporated in the structure or assembly of the razor itself, and in. which the need for precision of manufacture is obviated and yet there is assurance of ease and convenience in guiding the blade from the magazine to shaving position without jamming or injury to the cutting edge during such sliding displacement, and there is also obviated the danger of injury from the cutting edge of a blade, both in the charging and during and after ejection thereof.

lAccording to a feature of the invention, the

blade unit is guarded, its longitudinal edges being rounded and confining the cutting edge between and in the plane of said guards, while the razor head has a guide longitudinally thereof, preferably in the form of tracks along the longitudinal edges thereof between which the guarded blade enters with its smooth rounded guard edges guided along the tracks and thereby expelling the used blade therefrom. The r'ela-` tive displacement of the magazine and head after such charge is preferably relied upon to unguard the blade vin the head, that is to displace the cutting edge thereof to shaving posi--y tion outward from the common plane of the guard edges.

According to another feature, the blade magazine is lodged in the handle and longitudinally of the latter and the head has a shank pivoted to a handle extension b ar so that the head .may be brought into alignment with the magazine, the handle having a slide for feeding a blade from the magazine into the handle, the head also having an unguarding slide to engage the main portion of the blade and actuated by a camining connection as the head is pivoted from charging to operative or shaving position.

In the accompanying drawings in which is` shown a structure designed to incorporate the principle of the invention in one of its various embodiments,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the razor,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front View showing the parts in charging position,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View takenv on line I-d of Fig. 1, showing the blade in unguarded position,

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional' View taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3,

those of'the blade proper.

Fig. 6 is an exploded View showing the elements of the head,

Fig.' '7 is a transverse sectional View taken on une 1-1 0f Fig. 2,

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the charging operation,

Fig. 9 is an end elevation taken on line 9 9 f Fig. 8,

Fig. 10 is a view in transverse cross section taken `0I1l line lili-l0 Of Fig. 7,

Fig'. 11 is a perspective View of the magazine, and

Fig. 12 isv a perspective View of the guarded blade.

Referring now to the drawings, the razor includes handle I3 and a razor head I-I. Head H has a blade` guide, preferably in the forni of tracks and |5 which may be in the forn of inwardly extending flanges as shown, longitudinally of they upper lateral edge of the downwardly converging fianks of said head.

The blades are of the guarded type shown in my coper'iding application Serial No. 628,081, filed Novemberl 13, 1945, nowV Patent No. 2,561,110, granted July 17, 1951. Desirably theblade proper I6 isy clamped at its backl edge between the reversely bent leavesof a ferrule I'II` each leaf of which ferrule is' of length andl width greater than y The leaves of the` ferrule are provided with a U-shaped cut-out I8 exposing the Cutting edge I 9 of the blade as Well as the end edges 26' thereof. The L I` shape'd cut-out preferably has inturned ends ZI to eX- pose the: ends also ofthe back edge 22 of the cutting blade. vThus the cutting blade is securely cl'amped between the clamping jaws ofthe ferrule, (that is, the portions'framedl by U-sha'ped slot Iii),l which' jai-Ws are desirably bowedas at 23 near their free vedges for resiliency of hold againstl the blade proper It andthe cutting edge I9 is thus normally Ymaintained betw n the later'al edges E@ and'` 25 of the blade unit which are desirably smooth rounded',V as shown, and istherefore guarded withinv the common plane of said guard edges to preclude any possibility of injury.v

, The blade unit, a's best shown in Fig. 5 is securelyretained a't its guard edge'sLZ and125, ref sp`e`ctively,jw ithin the tracks [il` and f5 of the head and isthere shown in guarded" condition'. The head1-I is also" provi ded with an unguarding de: vice best shown inFigs. 2; l and d which, when th'ej d'e`vi`ce is lin operativeposition, dei'ectsthe cuttingfedge I9 outwardto unguarded or shaving p ostion,as'show`n in Figs 2ia'nd`"'=.

W'hile' a blade of the construction set forth 3 may be slid endwise as such or from any suitable magazine, to enter between the tracks I4 and I5 of the head and in such operation may discharge or eject the blade previously in position, and while any suitable device may then be manipulated to deect the cutting edge to unguarded position, and While such arrangement is within the scope of the broader claims herein, I have shown an arrangement in which the magazine is incorporated in a holder, preferably the handle of the razor and in which a relative movement of the handle and the razor head brings the parts to charging position and after charging, the return relative movement of magazine and head brings about the unguarding of the guarded blade.

In one specific embodiment, the razor is of the hoe type and has a T-head H with a unitary shank S pivotally aixed against extension bar 26 of the handle I3 by means of a rivet 21. The proportions of the parts are such that when the head is pivoted to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 8, the face of the head is upright and aligned with the lateral edge of the preferably rectangular handle case I3, so that the outer of the supp-ly of blades B, preferably lodged within a magazine M in the handle case, is aligned with the head.

In a preferred embodiment, the magazine is a rectangular sheet metal trough 28 open at its opposite ends and having inturned flanges 29 at its open face, said trough accommodating the multiplicity of blades B which are pressed outward against the flanges 29 by a leaf spring 33 in the rear face of the magazine reacting against a follower plate 3l and protruding at its bowed middle through a slot 32 in the rear wall of the magazine and reacting against a stop 33 inserted in the handle I3. A U-shaped cover 34 straddles the base of the handle to which it is pivotally affixed by rivet 35, and this affords access for replacement of the magazine when empty.

For charging the razor, the end wall of the handle is provided with a slide 36 straddling the sides of the handle case I3 and provided with a pusher 31 at the inner face of the handle connected to slide 36 by rivet 38, which extends through a slot 39 practically the entire length of the handle case along the end wall thereof, The pusher 31 engages the end edge of the ferrule of the outermost blade in the magazine. Accordingly-the razor is charged by simply pivoting the head to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 8 and thereupon pushing the slide 36, thereby causing the guard edges 24 and 25 of the extreme blade B' to pass from handle case I3 through slot 54 and to enter between the tracks I4 and I5 of the head H and to push out or eject the blade B2 previously therein, until at the end of the movement of slide 36, i. e., when its rivet 38 engages the upper end of slot 39, the fresh blade will be in position.

Thereupon the head H is pivoted back about rivet 21 to its original or shaving position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. In this pivoting action, the blade becomes unguarded by the construction now to be described.

The head H desirably includes two distinct flank pieces, each generally T-shaped in form. Flank piece 40 has a shank 4I and a head piece 42 with the inturned track I5. This piece includes an inclined Web 43 narrower than the head, unitary with and connecting the head piece with the shank, and with upstanding end lugs 53.

The companion ank piece 44 has a shank 45 superposed over shank 4I, with the integral head piece 46 with its inturned track I4. The -two shanks in superposed relation are pvotally clamped as at 21 against the bar 26 upstanding from the casing and are co-related to prevent relative rotary displacement with respect to each other in their movement about said rivet, For this purpose, inturned lug 41 on the end of shank 45 ts into a corresponding slot 48 longitudinally of shank 4I and are frictionally held in position of use within depression 49 in upstanding bar 26. The bar 26 has a stud 50 in its face protruding through an L-shaped slot 5I in shank 4I.

Accordingly it will be clear that as the head H is pivoted about its rivet mount 21 from the charging position shown in Figs. 3 and 8 to the operating position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, flank piece 4D will advance longitudinally through a. slide range determined by the L-shaped slot 5I, so that the upstanding lugs 53 on the ends of the web 43 will engage the median part of the blade B and lift it to unguarded or shaving position. Thus, in the movement of the head from charging to shaving position, the cutting edge I9, originally flush with the guarded edges of the blade becomes inclined by tilting it outwardly, as shown, to unguarded position at the proper angle for shaving.

The operation will be clear from the foregoing, but may be briefly summarized. Assuming a new blade B' is to be inserted, the user simply pivots the head H about its pivot 21 to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 8, in which the tracks I4, I5 of the head become aligned with the lateral guards 24, 25 of the extreme blade B in the magazine. Upon now moving the slide 36 upward, the extreme blade B' in the magazine is shifted upward by the pusher 31, as best shown in Fig. 9, to enter at its guarded edges 24, 25 into the tracks I4, I5, respectively, of the head H and to push ahead of it and eject from the head the previously used blade B2, which is of course guarded in its released position, since the flexed blade proper resiliently returns to the plane of the guard edges 24, 25 and so may be discarded without hazard. The slide 36 is stopped by the outer end of slot 39 when the fresh blade has reached its correct position in the head. As the head H is thereupon pivoted back to shaving position, the stud 50 causes the flange piece 40 of the head H, together with track I5, to be pushed upwardly slightly through the coaction of stud 50 with the L-shaped slot 5I in the shank 4I of flank piece 49, the lugs 53 of said flank piece lifting the cutting edge of the blade to unguarded position, and tilting the blade itself, to be inclined upward from its forward edge, as shown. The lugs 41 which have prevented relative rotary displacements between ank pieces 40 and 44 nally snap into depression 49 in bar 26, resiliently to latch the head in shaving position, from which position the head is readily released in recharging with a fresh blade from the magazine in the handle case.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently Widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire4 to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A magazine type safety razor comprising a razor head, a magazine, means displaceably to retain said magazine in alignment with said head, said magazine having blades therein, each blade having a guard along the entire length of the cutting edge thereof, said head having a guide therealong, said razor having means for pushing the blade for movement of the guard thereof along said guide into place in said head, with concurrent expulsion from the head of the blade previously lodged therein, and means for deilecting the cutting edge of the positioned blade to unguarded position.

2. A magazine type safety razor, comprising a head having parallel tracks along the length thereof, a magazine, a holder therefor constructed and arranged to align the end of a blade in the magazine with the end of the head, each of the blades having a guard along each lateral edge thereof, means associated with the magazine for pushing the aligned blade for entry and movement of the guarded edges thereof along the tracks of the head with concurrent ex- .pulsion from the head of the previously used blade. and means between the tracks for deflecting the cutting edge of the blade to unguarded position.

3. A magazine type safety razor comprising a head having tracks longitudinally along the edges thereof, a blade retaining magazine, means for holding said magazine in feeding alignment with the head, each of the blades having a cutting edge and having metal guards along the longitudinal edges thereof, means associated with the magazine for sliding a guarded blade therefrom to cause the guarded edges thereof to enter between the tracks and to move along said tracks to set position, with concurrent expulsion of the previously used blade, means for relatively displacing the magazine and the head for disengagement thereof, and means associated with the head for unguardng the cutting edge of the blade.

4. A magazine type safety razor comprising a handle and a shaving head, a razor blade magazine lodged in said handle, said head having tracks longitudinally of the edges thereof, the blades in said magazine each having a cutting edge and having lateral metalguard edges, means to effect relative displacement of the magazine and the head to bring the same into end to end aligned engagement, means associated with the magazine to displace a blade therefrom longitudinally for entry of the guarded edges thereof between the tracks of the head and po` sitioning the same in the head with concurrent ejection of the previously positioned blade, and means controlled by the relative movement of magazine and head from blade charging to use position to unguard the cutting edge thereof.

`5. A magazine type safety razor comprising a handle, a shaving head pivotally connected to said handle, a multiplicity of blades lodged in said handle, extending longitudinally thereof, said handle having a port at the upper part thereof for exposing the end of the extreme blade, said head having a pivotal mount on said handle to bring the end of the head into contiguity of the port with the head aligned with said extreme blade, each of the blade units having rounded lateral edges including a guard of the cutting edge, the head having tracks longitudinally thereof for accommodating the guarded edges of the blade, slide means associated with the handle and coacting with the rear edge of the contiguous blade in the handle for longitudinally shifting the blade to cause its guarded lateral edges to enter the respective tracks and concurrently to expel the previously used blade therefrom, and blade flexing means controlled by the movement of the pivoted head from charging to operating position for displacing the cutting edge to unguarded position.

6. The combination recited in claim 5, in which the blades are mounted in a magazine, longitudinally of and near one side of the handle and in which the lower end of the handle affords access for replacement of a magazine.

7. The combination recited in claim 5, in which the charging displacement of the blade from the handle is effected by a longitudinal slide member mounted on the end wall of the handle and having a pusher member at the inside of the handle to engage the end of the outermost blade.

8. The combination recited in claim 5, in which the head has a shank pivotally mounted with re` spect to the handle and in which the unguarding displacement of the cutting edge is effected by a slide plate having lugs extending between the tracks of the head Vfor engaging the main area of the blade between the guarded edges thereof, and a pin and slot connection between the handle and the slide plate for effecting the sliding displacement thereof.

9. The combination recited in claim 5, in which an extension bar is provided at the upper end of the handle, and the head has a shank pivotally mounted on said extension bar, and in which said head has stop means to limit the pivoting movement and retain the head in operative position.

10. In a magazine type safety razor, a handle having a magazine therein with the blades thereof extending lengthwise thereof, a head pivotally mounted upon said handle and movable from operating position to charging position, said head in charging position being positioned in alignment with the extreme blade in the magazine, guarded blades in the magazine, tracks on the head, a slide on the handle for shifting the extreme blade into the head with its guarded edges along the tracks, said head having a longitudinally displaceable member to engage the under face of the blade between its guard portions, and means operated by the movement of the head from charging to operating position for displacing the edge of the blade from guarded to unguarded position.

11. The combination recited in claim 10, in which the head is composed of two relatively slidable ank pieces, each carrying a track thereof, one of said pieces having a web with upstanding lugs to engage the underface of the blade.

EDWARD J. GRAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,817,512 Gaisman Aug. 4, 1931 1,963,649 Chadwick June 19, 1934 2,066,800 Rodrigues Jan. 5, 1937 2,167,032 Rodrigues July 25, 1939 2,252,850 Hill Aug. 19, 1941 2,311,913 Testi Feb. 23, 1943 

